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An inclinometer or clinometer is an instrument used for measuring angles of
slope In mathematics, the slope or gradient of a line is a number that describes both the ''direction'' and the ''steepness'' of the line. Slope is often denoted by the letter ''m''; there is no clear answer to the question why the letter ''m'' is use ...
,
elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Ver ...
, or depression of an object with respect to
gravity In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the stro ...
's direction. It is also known as a ''tilt indicator'', ''tilt sensor'', ''tilt meter'', ''slope alert'', ''slope gauge'', ''gradient meter'', ''gradiometer'', ''level gauge'', ''level meter'', ''declinometer'', and ''pitch & roll indicator''. Clinometers measure both inclines and declines using three different units of measure: degrees, percentage points, and topos. The astrolabe is an example of an inclinometer that was used for celestial navigation and location of astronomical objects from
ancient times Ancient history is a time period from the beginning of writing and recorded human history to as far as late antiquity. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient history cov ...
to the
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...
. A ''tilt sensor'' can measure the tilting in often two axes of a reference plane in two axes. In contrast, a full motion would use at least three axes and often additional sensors. One way to measure tilt angle with reference to the earth's ground plane, is to use an
accelerometer An accelerometer is a tool that measures proper acceleration. Proper acceleration is the acceleration (the rate of change of velocity) of a body in its own instantaneous rest frame; this is different from coordinate acceleration, which is acc ...
. Typical applications can be found in the industry and in game controllers. In aircraft, the "ball" in
turn coordinator In aviation, the turn and slip indicator (T/S, a.k.a. turn and bank indicator) and the turn coordinator (TC) variant are essentially two aircraft flight instruments in one device. One indicates the rate of turn, or the rate of change in the aircr ...
s or
turn and bank indicator In aviation, the turn and slip indicator (T/S, a.k.a. turn and bank indicator) and the turn coordinator (TC) variant are essentially two aircraft flight instruments in one device. One indicates the rate of turn, or the rate of change in the aircr ...
s is sometimes referred to as an inclinometer.


History

Inclinometers include examples such as Well's in-clinometer, the essential parts of which are a flat side, or base, on which it stands, and a hollow disc just half filled with some heavy liquid. The glass face of the disc is surrounded by a graduated scale that marks the angle at which the surface of the liquid stands, with reference to the flat base. The zero line is parallel to the base, and when the liquid stands on that line, the flat side is horizontal; the 90 degree is perpendicular to the base, and when the liquid stands on that line, the flat side is perpendicular or plumb. Intervening angles are marked, and, with the aid of simple
conversion tables Conversion of units is the conversion between different units of measurement for the same quantity, typically through multiplicative conversion factors which change the measured quantity value without changing its effects. Overview The process ...
, the instrument indicates the rate of fall per set distance of horizontal measurement, and set distance of the sloping line. The
Abney level An Abney level and clinometer is an instrument used in surveying which consists of a fixed sighting tube, a movable spirit level that is connected to a pointing arm, and a protractor scale. An internal mirror allows the user to see the bubble i ...
is a handheld surveying instrument developed in the 1870s that includes a sighting tube and inclinometer, arranged so that the surveyor may align the sighting tube (and its
crosshair A reticle, or reticule also known as a graticule, is a pattern of fine lines or markings built into the eyepiece of an optical device such as a telescopic sight, spotting scope, theodolite, optical microscope or the screen of an oscilloscope ...
) with the reflection of the bubble in the
spirit level A spirit level, bubble level, or simply a level, is an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal (level) or vertical ( plumb). Different types of spirit levels may be used by carpenters, stonemasons, bricklayers, ...
of the inclinometer when the line of sight is at the angle set on the inclinometer. One of the more famous inclinometer installations was on the panel of the Ryan NYP "The Spirit of St. Louis"—in 1927 Charles Lindbergh chose the lightweight Rieker Inc P-1057 Degree Inclinometer to give him climb and descent angle information.


Uses

Hand-held clinometers are used for a variety of surveying and measurement tasks. In land surveying and mapping, a clinometer can provide a rapid measurement of the slope of a geographic feature, or used for
cave survey A cave survey is a map of all or part of a cave system, which may be produced to meet differing standards of accuracy depending on the cave conditions and equipment available underground. Cave surveying and cartography, i.e. the creation of an accu ...
. In prospecting for minerals, clinometers are used to measure the strike and dip of geologic formations. In forestry,
tree height measurement :''This article outlines the basic procedures for measuring trees for scientific and champion tree purposes. It does not cover timber assessment for production purposes, which is focused on marketable wood volumes rather than overall tree size.'' ...
can be done with a clinometer using standardized methods including triangulation. Major
artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...
guns may have an associated clinometer used to facilitate aiming of shells over long distances. Permanently-installed
tiltmeter A tiltmeter is a sensitive inclinometer designed to measure very small changes from the vertical level, either on the ground or in structures. Tiltmeters are used extensively for monitoring volcanoes, the response of dams to filling, the small ...
s are emplaced at major earthworks such as dams to monitor the long-term stability of the structure.


Factors which influence the use of inclinometers

(Overall accuracy varies depending on the type of tilt sensor (or inclinometer) and technology used) * Gravity * Temperature (drift), zero offset, linearity, vibration, shock, cross-axis sensitivity, acceleration/deceleration. * A clear line of sight between the user and the measured point is needed. * A well defined object is required to obtain the maximum precision. * The angle measurement precision and accuracy is limited to slightly better than one arcsec.


Accuracy

Certain highly sensitive electronic inclinometer sensors can achieve an output resolution to 0.0001°; depending on the technology and angle range, it may be limited to 0.01°. An inclinometer sensor's true or absolute accuracy (which is the combined total error), however, is a combination of initial sets of sensor zero offset and sensitivity, sensor linearity, hysteresis, repeatability, and the temperature drifts of zero and sensitivity—electronic inclinometers accuracy can typically range from ±0.01–2° depending on the sensor and situation. Typically in room ambient conditions the accuracy is limited to the sensor linearity specification. File:InclinometerMeteor.jpg, Nautical wall inclinometer File:Clinometerlow.jpg, Simple clinometer File:Digital protractor.jpg, Digital protractor File:Vickers Clino R.JPG, Clinometer designed to enable
indirect fire Indirect fire is aiming and firing a projectile without relying on a direct line of sight between the gun and its target, as in the case of direct fire. Aiming is performed by calculating azimuth and inclination, and may include correcting aim ...
capability with a
Vickers machine gun The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a water-cooled .303 British (7.7 mm) machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army. The gun was operated by a three-man crew but typically required more men to move and o ...
circa 1918 File:Breithaupt Kassel 25704-271300.01.0 clinometer DSC03651.JPG, Mechanical spirit level clinometer with micrometer adjustment


Sensor technology

Tilt sensors and inclinometers generate an
artificial horizon The attitude indicator (AI), formerly known as the gyro horizon or artificial horizon, is a flight instrument that informs the pilot of the aircraft orientation relative to Earth's horizon, and gives an immediate indication of the smallest or ...
and measure angular tilt with respect to this horizon. They are used in cameras, aircraft flight controls, automobile security systems, and speciality switches and are also used for platform leveling, boom angle indication, and in other applications requiring measurement of tilt. Important specifications to consider for tilt sensors and inclinometers are the tilt angle range and the number of axes. The axes are usually, but not always, orthogonal. The tilt angle range is the range of desired linear output. Common implementations of tilt sensors and inclinometers are accelerometer, Liquid Capacitive, electrolytic, gas bubble in liquid, and pendulum. Tilt sensor technology has also been implemented in video games. '' Yoshi's Universal Gravitation'' and '' Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble'' are both built around a tilt sensor mechanism, which is built into the cartridge. The
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, November ...
and Wii game controllers also use tilt as a means to play video games. Inclinometers are also used in
civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewa ...
, for example, to measure the inclination of land to be built upon. Some inclinometers provide an electronic interface based on CAN (Controller Area Network). In addition, those inclinometers may support the standardized
CANopen CANopen is a communication protocol and device profile specification for embedded systems used in automation. In terms of the OSI model, CANopen implements the layers above and including the network layer. The CANopen standard consists of an address ...
profile (CiA 410). In this case, these inclinometers are compatible and partly interchangeable.


Two-axis digital inclinometer

Traditional spirit levels and pendulum-based electronic leveling instruments are usually constrained by only single-axis and narrow tilt measurement range. However, most precision leveling, angle measurement, alignment and surface flatness profiling tasks essentially involve a two-dimensional surface plane angle rather than two independent orthogonal single-axis objects. Two-axis inclinometers that are built with
MEMS Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), also written as micro-electro-mechanical systems (or microelectronic and microelectromechanical systems) and the related micromechatronics and microsystems constitute the technology of microscopic devices, ...
tilt sensors provides simultaneous two-dimensional angle readings of a surface plane tangent to earth datum. Typical advantages of using two-axis
MEMS Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), also written as micro-electro-mechanical systems (or microelectronic and microelectromechanical systems) and the related micromechatronics and microsystems constitute the technology of microscopic devices, ...
inclinometers over conventional single-axis "bubble" or mechanical leveling instruments may include: * Simultaneous measurement of two-dimensional (X-Y plane) tilt angles (i.e. pitch & roll), can eliminate tedious swapping back-and-forth experienced when using a single-axis level, for example to adjust machine footings to attain a precise leveling position. * Digital compensation and precise calibration for non-linearity, for example for operating temperature variation, resulting in higher accuracy over a wider measurement range. * The accelerometer sensors may generate numerical data in the form of vibration profiles to enable a machine installer to track and assess alignment quality in real-time and verify a structure's positional stability by comparing leveling profiles before and after it is set up.


Inclinometer with gyroscope

As inclinometers measure the angle of an object with respect to the force of gravity, external accelerations like rapid motions, vibrations or shocks will introduce errors in the tilt measurements. To overcome this problem, it is possible to use a gyroscope in addition to an accelerometer. Any of the abovementioned accelerations have a huge impact on the accelerometer, but a limited effect on the measured rotation rates of the gyroscope. An algorithm can combine both signals to get the best value out of each sensor. This way it is possible to separate the actual tilt angle from the errors introduced by external accelerations.


Applications

Inclinometers are used for: * Determining latitude using Polaris (in the Northern Hemisphere) or the two stars of the constellation
Crux Crux () is a constellation of the southern sky that is centred on four bright stars in a cross-shaped asterism commonly known as the Southern Cross. It lies on the southern end of the Milky Way's visible band. The name ''Crux'' is Latin for ...
(in the Southern Hemisphere). * Determining the angle of the Earth's magnetic field with respect to the horizontal plane. * Showing a deviation from the true vertical or horizontal. * Surveying, to measure an angle of inclination or elevation. * Alerting an equipment operator that it may tip over. * Measuring angles of elevation, slope, or incline, e.g. of an embankment. * Measuring slight differences in slopes, particularly for
geophysics Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and physical properties of the Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. The term ''geophysics'' so ...
. Such inclinometers are, for instance, used for monitoring
volcano A volcano is a rupture in the Crust (geology), crust of a Planet#Planetary-mass objects, planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and volcanic gas, gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Ear ...
es, or for measuring the depth and rate of landslide movement. * Measuring movements in walls or the ground in civil engineering projects. * Determining the dip of beds or strata, or the slope of an embankment or cutting; a kind of plumb level. * Some automotive
safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly dif ...
systems. * Indicating pitch and roll of vehicles, nautical craft, and aircraft. See
turn coordinator In aviation, the turn and slip indicator (T/S, a.k.a. turn and bank indicator) and the turn coordinator (TC) variant are essentially two aircraft flight instruments in one device. One indicates the rate of turn, or the rate of change in the aircr ...
and slip indicator. * Monitoring the boom angle of cranes and material handlers. * Measuring the "look angle" of a satellite antenna towards a satellite. * Adjusting a solar panel to the optimal angle to maximize its output. * Measuring the slope angle of a tape or chain during distance measurement. * Measuring the height of a building, tree, or other feature using a vertical angle and a distance (determined by taping or pacing), using
trigonometry Trigonometry () is a branch of mathematics that studies relationships between side lengths and angles of triangles. The field emerged in the Hellenistic world during the 3rd century BC from applications of geometry to astronomical studies ...
. * Measuring the angle of drilling in
well logging Well logging, also known as borehole logging is the practice of making a detailed record (a ''well log'') of the geologic formations penetrated by a borehole. The log may be based either on visual inspection of samples brought to the surface ( ...
. * Measuring the
list A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
of a
ship A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished ...
in still water and the roll in rough water. * Measuring steepness of a
ski slope A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or parti ...
. * Measuring the orientation of planes and lineations in rocks, in combination with a
compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself wit ...
, in structural geology. * Measuring range of motion in the joints of the body * Measuring the inclination angle of the pelvis. Numerous neck and back measurements require the simultaneous use of two inclinometers. * it measures the angle of elevation, and ultimately computing the altitudes of, many things otherwise inaccessible for direct measurement. * Measuring and fine tuning the angle of
line array A line array is a loudspeaker system that is made up of a number of usually identical loudspeaker elements mounted in a line and fed in phase, to create a near- line source of sound. The distance between adjacent drivers is close enough that the ...
speaker hangs. Confirmation of the angle achieved via use of a laser built into the remote inclinometer. * Setting correct orientation of solar panels while installing * Setting firing angle of a cannon or gun (determines projectile range) * Electronic games * Help prevent unsafe working conditions. * The
USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...
Forest Service uses tilt sensors (or inclinometers) to measure tree height in its Forest Inventory and Analysis program. *
Logistics Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...
and
transport Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land ( rail and road), water, cable, pipelin ...
also use tilt indicators, it is a specific system for single use. They are attached to the products during the shipping process.


Games

Nintendo used tilt sensor technology in five games for its
Game Boy The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same t ...
series of hand-held game systems. The tilt sensor allows players to control aspects of the game by twisting the game system. Games that use this feature: * '' Yoshi's Universal Gravitation'' (Game Boy Advance) * '' WarioWare: Twisted!'' (Game Boy Advance)(not released in Europe) * '' Koro Koro Puzzle Happy Panechu!'' (Game Boy Advance)(Japan only) * '' Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble'' ( Game Boy Color)(not released in Europe) * Command Master ( Game Boy Color)(Japan only) Tilt sensors can also be found in game controllers such as the Microsoft Sidewinder Freestyle Pro and Sony's
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, November ...
controller. However, unlike these other controllers in which the tilt sensor serves as a supplement to normal control methods, it serves as one of the central features of Nintendo's
Wii Remote The Wii Remote, also known colloquially as the Wiimote, is the primary game controller for Nintendo's Wii home video game console. An essential capability of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact wi ...
and the Nunchuk attachment. Along with accelerometers, the tilt sensors are a primary method of control in most Wii games. It is now being used in many different aspects, instead of just games like
motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competiti ...
ing and flight simulators. It can be used for sport gaming,
first-person shooter First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the p ...
, and other odd uses such as in '' WarioWare: Smooth Moves'' Another example is a virtual version of a wooden maze with obstacles in which you have to maneuver a ball by tilting the maze. A homebrew tilt sensor interface was made for the
Palm (PDA) Palm was a line of personal digital assistants (PDAs) and mobile phones developed by California-based Palm, Inc., originally called Palm Computing, Inc. Palm devices are often remembered as "the first wildly popular handheld computers," respon ...
.


See also

*
Grade (slope) The grade (also called slope, incline, gradient, mainfall, pitch or rise) of a physical feature, landform or constructed line refers to the tangent of the angle of that surface to the horizontal. It is a special case of the slope, where zero in ...
* Liquid capacitive inclinometers *
Theodolite A theodolite () is a precision optical instrument for measuring angles between designated visible points in the horizontal and vertical planes. The traditional use has been for land surveying, but it is also used extensively for building an ...
*
Tiltmeter A tiltmeter is a sensitive inclinometer designed to measure very small changes from the vertical level, either on the ground or in structures. Tiltmeters are used extensively for monitoring volcanoes, the response of dams to filling, the small ...


References


External links


Inclinometer Blog – General Inclinometer Information

MEMS inclinometer and technical specifications


{{Geotechnical engineering Dimensional instruments Forestry tools Surveying instruments de:Neigungssensor